In a business organization, business related data and processes are normally handled by a computer system. Such systems typically include applications for dealing with aspects relating to manufacturing, supply chain, financials, etc. For such purposes an Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) may be applied. An example of a widely used ERP system is the SAP system. In an ERP system all data and processes of an organization are attempted to be integrated into a unified system, thereby avoiding compatibility problems between stand-alone applications. A key ingredient of most ERP systems is the use of a unified database to store data for various parties or sub-divisions of the organization. The unified database is often referred to as a master database for storing master data. The master data may be in the form of data objects with associated attributes that describe the various aspects of the object. The data objects may relate to all kinds of relevant entities such as products, bills of material, scheduling, capacity, inventory, order entry, customers, suppliers, etc.
A setting of a specific master data object may be closely related to other data objects in the database. For example in connection with creation or modification of data objects, e.g. a modification of a data objects relating to a material may influence a lot of other objects throughout the supply chain. The person responsible for the addition or modification should therefore be able to comprehend and deal with all other data objects which should be updated as a consequence. The responsible person also needs to understand the significance of the database entries. In a situation where the system behaves unexpectedly, the person should understand why the system behaves in a given way, and what could be the cause of this. The responsible person should also understand how to inform or consult relevant parties in connection with a change. Consequently it is a considerable task to maintain a master database.
Hence, an improved way of handling data in a data sharing system would be advantageous, and in particular a more efficient and/or reliable way would be advantageous.